


Dystopia

by Blacksheep28



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dystopia, Gen, Healthcare, sci fi, thought experiment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21782434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blacksheep28/pseuds/Blacksheep28
Summary: Was inspired this morning to write a short story set in a Dystopian society
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Dystopia

She wasn’t sure when she realized, but she always knew there was a good chance she was going to die. Her family wasn’t exactly high class after all. She just hadn’t thought her luck would run out this soon.

She pushed back the fading darkness. Every time she went down she was afraid this was the moment she wouldn’t get up again. The pain had been bad. Going numb was worse. She had thought she would embrace any kind of relief. She couldn’t when she knew what was coming.

It was fair. It was supposed to be fair at least. She died, so others would live. The health system was perfectly fair. Everyone was registered, and then the random ballot selected who the healthcare system would look after. She’d been so excited when she’d learned about it in school, about how the government provided funding for their medical system and how everyone had a chance to live.

It wasn’t until she was older that she really understood it meant everyone had a chance to die. That the random selection meant not everyone would be admitted to a clinic, or be allowed access to medication. It was for their society’s own good of course. Competition over medical health could destabilize the country. It was better that it was controlled and the selection was random.

She took a deep breath and relaxed as her vision cleared for a bit. She didn’t have the strength to sit up to drink, but that was alright. She was still here. She could still fight. She chuckled to herself darkly. Not that fighting had made it any easier. Taking the time off work only meant that her allotment was cut. She hadn’t been selected to have support when sick after all.

She had been a teenager when she’d realized that the selections weren’t quite as random as the government told them. Funding healthcare was expensive after all. The upper class poured so much of their money into it. To thank them for their support and allowing those that didn’t have the funds to have an equal chance at care the upper class was guaranteed their own registered acceptance in hospitals and with medicine. Of course the government couldn’t increase how many people were accepted. The selection was meant to be equal. A set percentage of the population got access to the healthcare so the system wasn’t overwhelmed. So people in her class? The people she went to school with? There weren’t as many that could be selected for healthcare.

It was fair. She repeated that to herself again tiredly. She had so desperately wanted better for her family. She had been so grateful that their healthcare was fair, that everyone had a chance to see a doctor. Everyone had a chance for medication. She had worked hard to donate what she could. She had the chance to vote for an increase in the percentage gaining access. The government listened to its people.

The darkness came again, and this time she didn’t fight it. She had known she would die. At least this would lessen the strain on her family’s allotment. And they had their savings. Money that had been put aside for the next time registration went around. Perhaps this time the lottery would select someone in her family.

Perhaps next time someone else would die.


End file.
